Fall 2017 Golden Griffin Recipients

Liz Cascone - The Haven

Core Value: Student Centeredness • September 2017

It was almost impossible to choose ONE Student Affairs value that Liz exhibits most because she exceeds in all areas. As we start up the year and students come back to campus, whenever I am around Liz, I am overwhelmed with how many students literally sprint over to say hi to her. The work she does on this campus is so incredibly important and she does it with such strength, care, and compassion. I could not think of a person better suited for her role. In addition to being an incredible director, Liz is also a wonderful collaborator. She brings her best to the table day after day, exemplifies what leadership should look like, and is a pillar of strength for both students and staff. I know that I am so very grateful that Liz is here and I think that anybody who has ever met her or worked with her -- from students to staff -- would agree.

Jenn Garcia - Residence Life

Core Value: Respect • September 2017

The summer months can be just as busy as the school year months (August - May) for the Area Directors, especially for the ADs who coordinate Summer School. This year, Jenn was one of two Area Directors selected to oversee Summer School -- which includes the interviewing, hiring, and supervision of staff, management of several duty offices (including keys and duty schedules), and coordinating multiple openings and closings of the residence halls for the summer school sessions. After a fellow colleague departed Residence Life to begin a new position in FYE, Jenn tackled the challenge head on! I have great respect, appreciation, and admiration for the work she does with her staff and the students in her area.

Lesley Henderson - Dean of Students

Core Value: Inclusion • October 2017

In addition to her usual excellent student-centered work, Lesley and her staff recently implemented the first Neurodiverse Bridge Program. This program was created at the suggestion of the Neurodiversity Committee, and Lesley worked collaboratively with members of the committee to bring nine students to campus early this summer to provide them with programs and support to assist them in transitioning to college. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, particularly from the students' parents who greatly appreciated the special efforts to help them and their children with transitioning. The committee hopes to expand upon this successful effort by offering more slots for students in the next Bridge Program. Lesley's leadership was critical to the effort, and she showed the true spirit of collaboration and inclusion in doing so.

Dawn Worsham - Dean of Students

Core Value: Professional Excellence • November 2017

As a member of the Dean of Students Office for many years, Dawn is responsible for the administrative processing of the Committee on Academic Status and Medical Review Committee, which is integral in supporting our deans and students. Dawn is a stellar representative of our office when working with our campus community. She builds and fosters positive relationships with anyone she engages with and demonstrates genuineness and level- headedness in all office dealings. She listens actively, always responds in a respectful tone, and regularly looks for common ground and encourages collaboration among team members. We have received multiple calls from student, parents, staff, faculty, deans, and other members of the Tribe community praising Dawn for her interactions with them. We are so thankful for all of her contributions to the DOSO team and the William & Mary community. We couldn't do what we do without her!

Felicia Brown-Anderson - W&M Counseling Center

Core Value: Student Centeredness • November 2017

Often times the counseling center staff works quietly behind the scenes, hidden away in Blow, meeting with student after student. On occasion, we have the great opportunity to step out of the halls of Blow 240 - often in the form of outreach or collaboration with other offices. Felicia wears many hats in our office, much like the rest of the staff. She is always thinking of ways to reach students outside of an initial assessment or a crisis moment. Felicia helps to facilitate Relaxation workshops, assists with outreach requests, and recently helped to launch our most successful depression screening day. Felicia is an advocate for our students, and is well-deserving of a Golden Griffin for the Student Affairs value of Student Centeredness. The Counseling Center is lucky to have her!

Billie Jo Wood - Residence Life

Core Value: Student Centeredness • December 2017

For the past two years, Billie Jo has been working with a student group that has been struggling with whether or not they should continue as an organization associated with Residence Life. Throughout the process, Billie Jo has been available to the students to listen with a compassionate ear while allowing the students to make this difficult decision. She has spent a considerable amount of time listening, advising, and often hearing the student's disappointment of potentially having an organization fair, which we know our students do not embrace easily. Thanks to Billie Jo's guidance, the organization will move forward in a direction that is right for the students and its members.

Brad Ward - Student Leadership Development

Core Value: Celebration • December 2017

It is truly difficult to select ONLY one quality for the work Brad tackles every day. Because in truth, the work of Student Centeredness and Celebration go hand-in-hand for Brad. Whether over a puzzle, through mischief and good fun, or a cup of coffee, at least once a day you can find him engaged with students and colleagues. Brad has constantly brought a spirit of fun and celebration to our daily work, creating cheers for our staff meetings and constantly reminding us that life is not meant to be taken so seriously. Most recently when confronted with the difficult work of managing disagreement and national attention over a student sponsored event, Brad still managed to keep a positive attitude and was able to provide meaningful conversation with students regarding the impact and future steps. His job entails long hours, late nights and what often seems like never-ending work weeks. However, for Brad, the work is a joy because of the opportunity to enrich the lives of students and for that, he should be celebrated.

"The Staff" - Residence Life

Core Value: Student Centeredness • December 2017

There are times when a tree might fall in the middle of the night onto a residence hall filled with students. In such times, a few students may be temporarily displaced. There are other times when a Dominion Energy transformer may fail, causing widespread power outages throughout campus. In such times, an entire hall of students may be temporarily displaced. If either of these things were to hypothetically happen, you would most certainly want the staff of W&M Residence Life addressing the situation. Not only will they facilitate the many moving parts involved in temporarily re-locating students, they will do so swiftly (within hours) and compassionately. In the case of displacing an entire hall, Residence Life might, for example, book upwards of 194 local hotel rooms for nearly 400 students and arrange for transportation to and from campus. They might also collaborate with other departments throughout campus to ensure the students have all necessary resources to manage both academics and life. Perhaps one day they will be tested in such a scenario. Until then, we know that Residence Life knows just what to do, and will always keep the comfort and well-being of our students at the center of their work.